Method of forming hollow concrete bodies.



No. 838,226. PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

l J. WESTENHUBBR & A. WEHRLE.

METHOD OF FORMING HOLLOW CONCRETE BODIES.

APPLICATION FILEDAPR. 25. 1900.

WITNESSES:

%.'c. WW

JOSEPH WESTENHUBER AND ANTON VVEHRLE, OF TQLEDO, OHIO.

METHOD.OF FORMING HOLLQW CONCRETE BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11,1906.

Application filed April 25,1908-: Serial No. 313,546.

4 To all mltmn it may concern.-

7 hard usage.

Be it known that we, JOSEPH Wnsrnn- HUBER and ANTON Warm-Ln, citizens of the United States, and residents of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Method of FormingHollow Concrete Bodies; and we do hereb declare the following to be a full, clear, an exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, 'which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to the manufacture of reinforced concrete articles, and particn.

larly to the construction of hollow bodies having cylindrical, octagonal, or similar shaped contours-such, for instance, as cisterns, tile, vaults, or the like.

The object of our invention is to provide a cheap and simple method of manufacturing articles of this class, whereby the contour of the article formed may be made in any suitable shape and substantially reinforced and the article itself when completed and dried be capable of withstanding heavy strains and terial shown as partially rolled around a forming mandrel or inner moldbody, which carries the reinforcing means. Fig. 8 is a perspective elevation of a formed cylinder with the outer and inner forming members partially removed therefrom. l ig. 4 is a perspective view of the removable adjusting core of the inner mold-body or mandrel. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the inner forming cylinder or member with the reinforcing member encircling it; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the concrete bod),

showing its inner surface plastered ()VUl.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the first formed. This bed is of the proper sha e and size to suit the required formation of t e; l

blank. In the bottom of this bed is placed the outer molding-sheet 2, of flexible mate-6o rial, which covers the bottom thereof and-,-- has its end edges turned down at right-angles,

as shown at 3, and providediwith either perforations or slots 4' for the purpose herein:

after described. Upon this sheet is placed a layer of concrete or other suitableplastic material 5 of the desired thickness, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ledges 1* at the sides .of the bed 1 are preferably of a depth equal to the combined thickness of the mold-sheet, 2 and concrete 5, so that after the concrete has been packed therein a leveling-tool may be passed across the top of the bed to love the surface of concrete. I

The inner mold-body or mandrel, about; which the concrete is formed into the desired, shape, comprises a fiein'ble metal sheet 6, which is formed into the shape desired to be assumed by the interior of the body to bev molded and has'its meeting edges loosely o lapped, as shown at 7 in Figs. 3 and 5, to per- I mit of a contraction or expansion thereof- Within this molding-sheet is mounted a re-,;.

movable adjusting core or member 8, which .v is shown as consisting of an axially-disposed hub portion 9, from which radiate a plurality of s aced sets of arms 10, the outer ends of whi h are designed when turned within the inner mold member 6 to coact with alining cam plates or surfaces 11, thus causing an go expanding or tightening of the member 6 within the part 12, forming the reinforcement for the body to be formed. The cam plates or surfaces 11 are secured by rivets 13 or in any other suitable manner to the inner surface of the member 6, as shown. The part 1, forming the reinforcement of the body when molded, consists of any suitable material having a rough, perforated, or iire ar surface-such, for instance, as m re fa ric, Ioc corrugated or perforated sheet metal, or the like. This material is rolled into cylindrical or other desired form, either'around the inncr mold-body or separate therefrom, and has its meeting ends fastened togethei, as at to 5 14 in Fig. 5. Vv'e wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction of the parts above desc ibed and shown, for obvious modificat ons will occur to a person skilled in the art. 1 Id In the forming of the plastic blank 5 into a molding-bed in which the concrete blank is hollow body of the desired shape the inner mold member 6, with the reinforcing material l2 encircling it and the adjusti core or memberS ti htened therein, so that t e mem against contraction due to the the mold while it is rolled over the, blank to the other end thereof. This operation causes the layer of concrete 5 and flexible moldingsheet 2 to be wrapped around the mandrel or inner molding-body with the sheet 2 forming the inclosing casing and the inner surface of the plastic material adhering to the rough or irregular surface of the reinforcing member 12. The lengths of the plastic blank 5 and molding-sheet 2 are properly proportioned relative to the mandrel or inner moldingbody to enable them to reach entirely around said mandrel or body and their ends to s Rarely abut, as shown by dotted lines in g. 2 and are firmly secured in such position by bolts or othersuitable means, binding the flanges 3 at the'ends, of the sheet 2 together. The drawin of. the ends of the molding-sheet 2 toget er causes the ends of the plastic blank to'closely adhere to each other and the inner surface thereof to be con.-

pressed Within the meshes, perforations, or irregularities of the reinforcing material. This being done the body'thus formed is allowed to dry. It preferable to leave the innermolding body or mandrel in the formed article during the drying operation, or at least until the concrete becomes sufficienfly set to maintain its shape. The outer sheet 2 mmqvedfmmzthe article by simply removmg the bolts or other retaining means 15 the flanges Stilereoffthus permitting a to be unwrapped from the molded body, as shown in Fig. 3, while a removal of the inner mold-body s accomplished by turning the core 8 until the ends of the arms 10 thereof are loosened from the cam-surfaces 11, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, thus permitting the core to be easily withdrawn. The inner molding-sheet 6 is slightly coin nessed to permit its easy removal from within the. reinforcing member 12, which adheres to the concrete and forms thcdining of the molded article. A

If desired, the interior of the molded body may be covered with a coat of concrete or plaster to form a smooth inner surface, as shown at 16 in Fig. 6, in which case the reinforcing material forms a surface to which the plaster readily adheres.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

The method of forminghollow concrete bodies consisting of first wrapping a porous reinforcing member about the forming-mandrel and securin its ends together, then wrappin a flexib e sheet. and superimposed plast c b lank about the reinforcing member and mandrel and securing the ends of the sheet togethenwith the ends of the-plastic blank in abutment, then allowing the blank to become set after which the sheet and man- 'di'el are removed.

. In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH VVESTENHUBER ANTON WEHRLEl Witnesses: 1

01W. OWEN, 

